Update: EARLY Act

Panel to Develop Messaging and Programs

by Lisa Schlager

The Education and Awareness Requires Learning
Young (EARLY) Act introduced by Representative
Debbie Wasserman Schultz was
passed as part of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. healthcare reform)
in March 2010.

The legislation directs the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop and
implement a national education campaign
about the threat breast cancer poses to young
women, and the elevated risks of certain populations.
Its goal is to increase knowledge of
breast health and breast cancer among young
women ages 15-44. The law also aims to provide
support services to young cancer survivors
and to educate healthcare professionals, helping
them become more skilled at identifying the
threats and warning signs of breast cancer in
young women — ultimately leading to early diagnoses
and saved lives. Representative Wasserman
Schultz emphasizes that the purpose of
this law is not to alarm people, but to educate
and to empower young women so that we can
reduce the number of fatalities from this horrific
disease.

The federal Advisory Committee on
Breast Cancer in Young Women met
for the first time earlier this year. This
15-member panel with representatives
from the medical and breast cancer
communities will design the new programs.
FORCE had an opportunity to
provide input, and we will continue to monitor
the panel's work to ensure that the concerns of
the hereditary cancer community are adequately
addressed.

Lisa Schlager, a former marketing executive, has
been involved with FORCE since 2008. In addition
to acting as Outreach Coordinator for our
Washington, DC FORCE group, Lisa assists
the national organization with advocacy and
outreach efforts. She lives in Chevy Chase, MD
with her husband and two children.

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